Missing two basal or four bolus insulin doses in a fortnight is linked with a clinically significant >5% decrease in time with glucose levels in range in patients with diabetes, a real-world study shows.

European doctors also found that the likelihood of missing at least one basal or bolus dose in a two-week period was 18% and 99%, respectively.

“Individuals in this study missed an average of six bolus insulin doses over a 14-day period, enough to cause a clinically relevant change in [time in range],” they wrote in Diabetes Care.

The Novo Nordisk-funded trial assessed the impact of missed basal or bolus insulin doses on glycaemic outcomes in some 3900 patients (mean age 43) across 16 countries who used smart insulin pens and continuous glucose monitors.